Copyright 7newsbelize
Today we explored why Belize doesn't have its own Burger King, Macdonald's or Subway, by consulting with a local staple, Chon Saan Palace. Jomarie Lanza has this story. If you're craving fast food in Belize, your typical McDonald's, Burger King or Subway, you would need your passport to get to the nearest franchise, which is in Chetumal Quintana Roo, or depending on where you live, Flores, Peten. And it turns out, unlike all other Caribbean or Central American countries, Belize is the only one that does not have a flagship fast food chain. With a population of only 117,000 Grenada has multiple fast food chain franchises. St Vincent and the Grenadines has only a hundred thousand citizens, and is still home to familiar favorites like KFC. Belize has 5 times that population but no fast food chain. On a recent trip to Honduras I was asked if we don't have these options, then what fast food do we eat? I told them we have our local favorites, mostly Chinese food, and for city residents, that's Chon Saan. Lee Mark Chang, General Manager, Chon Saan Palace "I guess Chon Saan is more of a casual dining, delivery dining takeout, we do little bit of everything right here. Most of our foods, in fact all our foods are cooked to order so that's why it is a little bit longer of a wait time I wouldn't call Chon Sean per say like fast food, it is fresh food, fresh food cooked immediately." But the Chon Saan experience is part of a broader national picture And a food marketplace that perhaps defies the logic of transnationals: Lee Mark Chang, General Manager, Chon Saan Palace "In Belize on every street you can get food, literally on every street you can get food, snacks, fast food, barbecue your rice and beans, meat pies burritos, pupusas, fried chicken, literally all over Belize, on literally every street you could get it so that level of competition is very stiff and for a franchise to come to Belize they come to new waters. Belizean waters is very different, just like Chon Saan Chinese food is very different than over the world or in the US especially so our style of cooking is the Belizean style Chinese food, I guess it is just like for example the garnache's or the panades, a lot of stuff is very unique to Belize so I believe the competition is very stiff for outsider and if there is not a huge enough market they don't come and waste their time." So aside from a saturated food and restaurant market, what's stopping these big American Food Chain franchises from coming to Belize? Chang says they would not be able to handle the competition. Lee Mark Chang, General Manager, Chon Saan Palace "I believe there is a lot of factors to that, population is definitely one, level of completion. The competition in Belize is very stiff, if there was not so many different stores, snack shops and supermarkets around the prices of all goods would go up. But because of the level of competition all the prices of goods are down. If we omit maybe less than half of the amount of stores or shops or supermarkets around then you will see the gradual increase because there is less competition." But in the 70's there was a KFC in downtown Belize City, in the Abdo building right in front of the old Belize Market beside Augusto Quan". And then in 2003, Subway opened up, but neither survived and both closed their doors in a few years. Still there's always the possibility that some global chain could return if the economics are right. Chang says the competition would be interesting. Lee Mark Chang, General Manager, Chon Saan Palace "I would not be concerned I actually probably would love it, competition makes everything better in this world. I believe KFC was here I think maybe 40 years ago I think it was at downtown and it didn't work, we have our own definite blend of flavor and taste, we have customers that buy our fry chicken our sweet and sour chicken or any food that they like to take to the states for families because they want a taste of Belize so I wouldn't be worried about it we have our own market, and they will have their own market." "Belize is gem on its own, different from most if not all Caribbean countries when you come to Belize you eat Belizean food you don't have the generic like subway, KFC Taco Bell, Apple Bees or those stuff you come to the local restaurants and you have like Margras you have Chon Saan, you have Kick down atlantic, Midtown, a lot of different restaurants all over the place and all of them cater to different clientele. So I believe tourists come here to try something different, if I travel I don't want to eat steak and burgers when I go to the states I want to find something different, something more exquisite and more local to where I am traveling." But whether you prefer the tastes Belize has to offer, as opposed to highly processed chain food, like any business venture Chang says there are always pros and cons to opening a KFC, a subway or any chain restaurant for that matter in our little jewel. Lee Mark Chang, General Manager, Chon Saan Palace "That could be a double edge sword, with competition it makes thing cheaper but also when a foreign company comes to Belize or if they get any perks to come to Belize then there is a disadvantage to us as local businesses we live, eat and sleep Belize we can't just come to Belize set up shop, make their money and send it back to their corporate head quarters while for Belizean businesses it stays here in Belize and it intermingles with the Belizean economy so if you are taking out a little bit every month or year and it goes back to corporate headquarters then you know we prefer the money to stay in Belize." We reached out to the Executive Director of Beltraide Ishmael Quiroz for a comment. He is on duty leave but he told us via text it, quote "boils down to the economics of it in terms of the price point and cost of compliance with standards along with the cost of imported inputs which makes it uncompetitive given the small domestic population size."End quote. He adds though that it's, quote, "a point of pride to simply be different from other destinations that are more globalized."
